


A Stranger Things Christmas

by witch_of_fics



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas fic, El doesn’t get Christmas, El isn’t too sure about this Santa dude, First Christmas, Fluff, Gen, Hopper being a dad, Humor, Implied Jopper - Freeform, Implied Mileven, Jopper, Mileven, Mistletoe, Will Byers is happy for once, jopper if you squint, mileven if you squint, takes place between season 2 and 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 07:12:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch_of_fics/pseuds/witch_of_fics
Summary: In which Jim has a reason to celebrate Christmas for the first time years and loves it. Eleven learns all about Christmas and is kinda suspicious of this Santa dude.Basically Eleven’s first Christmas ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy, long time no see guys! Recently I binged watched ALL of Stranger Things and I have now descended into Stranger Things hell, so I decided to write a fanfic.
> 
> This is my first work in this fandom, so I apologize for any OOC-ness. This is kinda like testing the waters here, but there’s probably more fics to come.
> 
> I also wrote this all on my phone so I apologize for any typos. I THINK I got them all, but I might’ve missed some. This was also written in under 24 hours because I like to torture myself apparently.
> 
> So enjoy this Christmas theme fic in the middle of July. I guess it’s Cheistmas in July so it’s fitting. 
> 
> Anywho, please enjoy!

Jim Hopper was excited. For the first time in years, he had a reason to celebrate Christmas. After his daughter died, Jim hated Christmas. Everything reminded him of his beloved Sarah. The kids on Santa’s lap brought him back to when he took Sarah to see Santa.  
  
It had all been too painful, so for years he locked himself up in his home with an expensive bottle of Whiskey, a carton of cigarettes, and a whole bunch of anti-anxiety pills.  
  
But now, he had someone to celebrate with. To celebrate _for_ . Finally the approach of his once favorite Holiday didn’t make him want to lash out at every happy person on the street.  
  
It was the 10th of December, the meteorologists were predicting snow for the weekend and it was already starting to flurry, but it was a beautiful evening. Perfect for chopping down a Christmas tree!  
  
Hopper left his keys in the ignition of his car as he quickly went to the cabin to grab rope, an axe, and most importantly, his adopted daughter, Eleven.  
  
“Hey kiddo! Put your coat on! We’re going out for a bit!” Jim called with a small grin, the record machine stopping abruptly when he said the words “going out”. That got Eleven’s attention instantly, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her casual use of her powers sometimes.  
  
Her bedroom door was thrown open, her hands on either side of the doorframe “Out?! To see Mike?!” Her hazel eyes were wide and hopeful, glimmering with sheer excitement.  
  
_Sheesh! She’s damn near obsessed with the Wheeler kid. What is she, a bird and like, imprinted on the first person she saw?_  
  
Hopper couldn’t help but think to himself. “Ehhh... Not quite to see Mike, kid. I’m sorry.” He couldn’t help but grimace slightly at the way her face fell.  
  
“Oh.” She started to look disappointed, her hand sliding off the door frame. The poor kid had been dying to see Mike after the SnowBall dance.  
  
“Look! Soon, alright? I promise. But c’mon, we’ll have fun. I’ll even grab us a bite to eat while we’re out, alright?” Hopper offered, watching the girl mull it over in her head.  
  
“...Okay.” She finally nodded, still excited to go out, but she still really wanted to see Mike.  
  
“Put on a jacket! It’s starting to snow!” Hopper called as she retreated into her room to get ready.  
  
As she dressed, Hopper opted to take off his uniform and change into some blue jeans and a warm flannel shirt.  
  
_I look like a fucking lumberjack_  
  
He thought absently with a laugh. He put on his coat. When El came out he was lighting up a cigarette, leaning against the wall. She wrinkled her nose seeing him and he sighed.  
  
“Tryin’ to quit kid. Not easy,” Hopper said, giving a small smile at Eleven. The coat was big on her, he really needed to get her proper winter clothes.  
  
“Ready?” He asked, reaching down and affectionately ruffling her growing curls. She giggled a little, she always liked Hopper’s touch. It was gentle. Kind. Fatherly. Something she never had.  
  
“Ready!” She agreed, putting on some boots that Joyce had given her, Will having grown out of them.  
  
Together they walked in the car and climbed in, El looking down curiously at the coil of rope and axe sitting between them. She didn’t ask about them.  
  
“Where are we going?” She asked, looking out the window having turned her attention away from the items sitting between her and Hopper as they drove.  
  
“It’s a surprise!” Hopper grinned, driving in the opposite direction of Hawkins. They drove for about 15 minutes, the road was heavily secluded now. Hopper stopped the car and turned it off, Eleven looking confused. They were sitting on a road in the middle of a pine forest.  
  
“C’mon, before it’s too dark.” Hopper encouraged, picking up the rope and axe. Eleven tentatively followed him, looking around.  
  
After some walking Hopper stopped, looking up a full, fluffy pine tree. It was probably about seven feet tall.  
  
He inspected it intently, shoving against it to see if it was good and sturdy.  
  
“How’s this one look to you, kid?” He asked with a grin.  
  
“Good, I guess?” Eleven asked, confusion written all over her face. But Hopper was too busy getting ready to cut down the tree to notice her confusion. It hadn’t dawned on him that the kid probably didn’t know what Christmas even _was!_  
  
After finding the best place to cut and telling Eleven to step back, Hopper began to hack away at the bark. Eleven became even more confused. They had plenty of firewood! Hopper always made sure of that. They had enough that they could probably be snowed in for a week and be warm. And that was just the wood he had already split and covered on the porch. Not the huge pile behind their house.  
  
Hopper huffed, stopping part way through the cutting process, a little red faced. He forgot how much work it was to cut down a Christmas tree!  
  
“Can I try?” Eleven spoke up, wanting to help, plus she was curious. Hopper looked up in surprise.  
  
“S... Sure.” He said, brow quirked up in surprise. “Let me help you, though. Gotta be careful.” He said and El nodded diligently, approaching Hopper and the tree.  
  
“Alright, just put your hands on the axe, okay?” Hopper said, showing her how to properly hold the axe, his large, calloused on top of hers to help her as he positioned himself behind her, arms around her shoulders.  
  
“Hold it, and pull back...” he followed her pulling back, the axe positioned, “... And swing!” Hopper said, helping her give a powerful swing. Eleven’s eyes got wide and she let out a laugh. Her eyes sparkled so happily as she shrugged Hopper off gently, he trusted her to be able to do it. The kid had fucking telepathy, for God’s sake.  
  
Eleven focused and did it again, her eyes lighting up brighter than the sun as she let out a happy laugh. “I did it!” She grinned proudly, looking up at Hopper.  
  
His expression turned wishful, eyes a little misty.  
  
_“Daddy! Daddy! Can I help?” A little voice called and he looked down, seeing her little blonde pigtails. He glanced at his wife who gave him a shrug. The tree was almost totally cut down by now._  
  
_“Sure, yeah Sarah, c’mere, stand in front of me. Now, be careful, okay? It’s sharp. Let me help.” Hopper placed his hands on top of her tiny ones, the girl giggling happily._  
  
_“Okay daddy!”_  
  
_“Alright, so we pull back,” Hopper guided her “And swing forward!” They swung together, driving the axe into the trunk. She giggled happily and they did it again and again, until the tree finally fell._  
  
_“I did it! Daddy I did it! Mommy I did it!” She squealed gleefully, running to her mother._

_Jim looked up, laughing softly. “You sure did baby.”_

  
“Yeah, you sure did kiddo.” Hopper said, blinking hard to force himself not to cry. Eleven grinned, Hopper smiling back at her as she swung a couple more times before growing tired. She looked back at him, and Hopper nodded and took the axe from her.  
  
It didn’t take him much longer to cut the tree down. With a resounding **_CRACK!_ ** the pine tree fell down. Hopper wiped his hands on his jeans, grabbing the rope and tying it around the bottom of the freshly cut-down tree to help haul it out.  
  
He grunted as he began to drag it behind them, cursing softly under his breath. He hadn’t done this much exercise in awhile.  
  
Suddenly it became a lot lighter and easier to pull and he looked behind him, the rest of the tree levitating a few inches off the ground. He looked at El who was walking with him, hand outstretched to help him carry the tree with her powers.  
  
“Thanks kid.” He said, giving her a small smile, which she returned.  
  
Together they got the tree to the car, about a quarter of an inch of snow powdering the ground and it was showing no signs of stopping.  
  
“Y’think you could use your powers to help lift it up on the roof of the car?” Hopper asked, he really didn’t like asking her to use her powers. He didn’t want her to ever feel exploited, like she was a mere tool like that bastard Brenner did.  
  
El nodded and focused, carefully moving the tree up and placing it onto the car with Hopper’s hands guiding it to keep it steady and put it where he wanted.  
  
“Thanks kid.” Hopper ruffled her hair again as she wiped the small bit of blood away from her nose, smiling as she was happy to help him.  
  
Hopper worked at securing the tree to the roof of his truck. After a few minutes, with El watching he grunted, pulling the last rope and tying it tightly.  
  
“There!” Hopper beamed as it was secured it.  
  
“How about we swing by Domino’s, grab some pizzas, a dessert, and some soda?” Hopper asked as they climbed into his car, Eleven nodding, still perplexed as to why they were carrying around a pine tree.  
  
The pair went and grabbed three pizzas, some Coke, and a dessert. El stayed in the car, watching the few people walking around, most heading to the theater. She watched the theater lights, absently daydreaming of someday maybe getting to go to the movies, instead of watching tapes that Hop brought home for them.  
  
Hopper soon returned to the truck, the pizzas and drinks sitting between the pair as they headed back to the cabin. Together they carried the food, and thanks to El’s powers got the tree to the cabin.  
  
Together they went in, the tree sitting on the porch as they ate their supper before it got cold, watching some cheesy straight to TV movie.  
  
After they finished and Hopper threw out the paper plates, he got up. El was engrossed in the over dramatic acting, not noticing Hopper bringing some boxes out of his room.  
  
She didn’t even notice Hop leaving the cabin until she heard rustling and she turned around, suddenly dumb founded. Hopper was bringing the tree _inside_ !  
  
She was speechless. Had he gone insane?  
  
Hopper wiped the sap off his hands from the tree onto his jeans, grabbing a tree stand from one of the boxes and with a grunt he sat the tree up with a big grin on his face. It wasn’t decorated yet, but they had a tree up!  
  
“Whaddya think kid? It look good there?” He asked, shifting it so it was a safe distance from the fire. It stood between the living room and the dining room/kitchen, so the tree could be seen pretty much everywhere in the house.  
  
Eleven just stared at him, blinking before finally managing words.  
  
“Hop?” She asked, brows furrowed in sheer confusion.  
“Yeah kid?” Hopper looked over at her, still grinning brightly.  
“Why is that tree now inside?” El asked, completely confused.  
  
That moment it dawned on Hopper, the kid had probably never had a Christmas!  
  
“It’s a Christmas tree!”  
“Christmas?”  
“Yeah! Y’know! Comes on the 25th of December, big fat man brings gifts, time to eat yourself sick, gift exchanges?” Her face remained blank.  
“You’ve never heard anyone say “Merry Christmas”?”  
  
El shook her head and Hopper sighed, shaking his head a little bit and swearing under his breath. He felt stupid for not realizing that.  
  
“Alright, well. Christmas is a holiday that you exchange gifts with each other! It comes on the 25th of December. See, right here.” Hopper strode over to the calendar he had placed on the wall to help Eleven learn the months of the year and dates. Eleven followed, now curious.  
  
“So, today is the 10th, right?” Hopper tapped the 10th of December on the calendar, Eleven nodded, showing she understood. “And Christmas, is on the 25th. Fifteen days away.” He said as he took the marker they used to cross off the days to circle the 25th.  
  
“Fifteen?” Eleven asked.  
“Fifteen, yup. One five.” Hopper confirmed.  
  
Eleven thought it over for a few moments, her face a little scrunched up as she thought about the whole concept.  
  
“What did you mean by “Big fat man”?” She finally asked.  
“Oh! Santa Claus! Well, Santa is a big jolly man who uses his sleigh to travel the world and deliver presents to all the good boys and girls! He has a whole sleigh of reindeer.” Hopper explained.  
“Good boys and girls? How does he know?” El asked, cocking her head to the side.  
“Well, he’s always watching. And on Christmas Eve, if you’ve been a good kid, he comes down the chimney and leaves you gifts! Only if you’re sleeping though.”  
  
Eleven looked at him, wide eyed in horror. Watching her always?? Sneaking into her house??  
  
Hopper didn’t notice the look of horror on El’s face, taking her wide eyes as excitement, not fear.  
  
“And the tree?” She asked tentatively.  
  
“You put the gifts under them. You wrap ‘em up in fancy paper and on Christmas morning you open them. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Hopper couldn’t help but grin down at her.  
  
It did sound fun, but she couldn’t get the scary idea of Santa off of her mind.  
  
Throughout the month they counted down the days together. He and El had fun decorating the tree, putting plenty of colorful lights, garland, and ornaments. They even strung some popcorn and put it on the tree. Together they decorated the whole house, El grinning and laughing as Hop got frustrated with a strand of lights. She squealed happily when the tree lit up brightly for the first time.  
  
In the evenings El turned the tree on the moment it started turning dark outside and she would sit, watching the twinkling lights with childlike wonder and awe.  
  
Finally the evening of December 24th arrived and Eleven was anxious and suspicious about this “Santa” guy. Hopper had told her many times that no one should enter the house without permission, and if someone forced their way in she was free to use the fire poker or her powers. Why was this Santa fellow any different!  
  
When Hopper tucked her in for the night Eleven had a plan in mind. She was going to see what this Santa guy was all about! She didn’t want any strange fat man in her house. Giving gifts or not. It sounded suspicious. So carefully with her powers she pushed the door open about two inches so she had a view of the Christmas tree.  
  
Sometime during the night she dozed off, only to startle awake at the floor creaking. Her eyes flew open and she caught a glimpse of red. Someone wearing red was in the living room, putting presents under the tree!  
  
Silently she snuck out of bed and out of her room. She picked up the fire poker and screamed as she swung it like a baseball bat, hitting the man square in the back, landing right on the kidneys, knocking him down.  
  
“Hopper! Hopper!” She cried out, hitting the man repeatedly as he squirmed on the ground.  
  
“Kid! Kid! It’s me! Jesus Christ!” The figure squirmed, it sounded suspiciously like Hop. He flipped over, nose bleeding from hitting it on the floor and his head throbbing for the same reason. The kid managed to nail him in the fucking kidneys, too. He’d be sore for weeks!  
  
“El!” He said, noticing her eyes were shut as she got ready to hit him in the face. His hand shot out and caught the fire poker before it could collide with his face.  
  
El opened her eyes and looked at him, eyes wide and chest heaving. She looked terrified.  
  
“H-Hopper?” She asked, starting to shake a little bit in fear. She really didn’t like this whole Santa idea.  
  
“Yeah kid. It’s me. It’s all good,” Hopper soothed, grunting as he got up, cursing under his breath from how sore he knew he’d be in the morning.  
  
He opened his arms for El who quickly hugged him, sniffling a little. He stroked her curls, totally confused.  
  
“Hey, kid. What’s wrong?” He asked and she hugged him tighter before finally saying.  
“Santa is a bad man!” Her voice held such fear.  
“What?” Hopper asked.  
“The bad men. Th-they could always see me a-and get me!” She was fully crying now, and Hopper’s heart _broke_ . How much had those bastards taken from this kid?  
  
“Shh, shh. Kid, hey, Santa isn’t real. Okay? It’s just a fun story.” Hopper soothed, still wearing the Santa suit. “I thought it’d be fun to dress as him and get you excited, I’m sorry.” He rubbed her back, thinking back on how radically different this child was from his Sarah.  
  
He would always dress as Santa on Christmas Eve, his back always facing Sarah’s door. He’d step on a particularly squeaky board just to hear her excited gasp and squeal as she scrambled back into her bed excited that her presents were there, quick to go back to “sleep” so to get her gifts.  
  
It was always the best thing in the morning to hear her squeal and launch herself into their bed, bouncing that it was finally Christmas and she had seen Santa himself!  
  
Eleven sniffled a little, looking up at Hopper. “Y-you lied?” Her bottom lip trembled a little.  
“Well, kinda. I mean. Shit kid, it’s just a fun thing people do. It’s like, something kids believe in and parents act like they do for fun. Just to see the excitement on their kids’ faces AND to help them be good the whole year.” Eleven’s eyes were red, shimmering with tears.  
  
“It’s... Kinda like a secret, okay? A secret only adults know. So you can’t tell anyone that you know Santa isn’t real, alright? It’s all fun to pretend but we can’t ruin anyone’s fun. Alright?” Hopper continued, El’s sniffling slowly stopping.  
  
“Okay...” She agreed, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her pajama shirt.  
  
“How about some hot chocolate and then we get you back to bed, alright?” Hopper gave a kind smile, rubbing her back as Eleven nodded.  
  
After their hot chocolate, Hopper tucked in a still kinda nervous Eleven into bed, per her request he sat with her until she dozed off. When he noticed her peacefully asleep, he rose and leaned down, brushing some curls off of her forehead and planting a sweet kiss on her head before he snuck out of the room, checking on her again with a loving smile before he pulled the door closed, leaving a three inch gap.  
  
Hopper wandered over and turned the radio on for some background noise, tuning it to some radio station playing Christmas music.  
  
He grabbed a cigarette and his lighter, going on the porch and sitting on the steps. It was a beautiful clear night, the stars shimmering brightly above as snow flakes floated slowly down.  
  
He lit his cigarette and looked up at the stars, it was relatively silent. He sighed smoke out of his nose as _Silent Night_ played quietly behind him.  
  
He sat, still wearing the obnoxious Santa coat and hat as he smoked, the door open behind him. He flicked the ashes off the tip of his cigarette as he continued to gaze up at the stars. He tapped his foot before he closed his eyes tightly for a second.  
  
“Uh, shit. So, look. I uh, dunno if there’s a Heaven or not. I’m not even sure if I believe in a God, after you left me, and all the shit that happened these last couple of years. So maybe I’m talking to the air. Heh... But maybe, maybe I’m not. I just...” His throat tightened and his voice cracked. “I _really_ miss you, Sarah. God, but y'know, I found that kid, in the woods. Crazy, I know. She’s great, she’s real great, Sarah. You’d love Eleven, call her El, for short. Crazy name for a kid, innit? She’s great. She’s a little strange, but she’s great.”  
  
He gave a bittersweet smile. “She beat the shit outta me tonight though. But it’s alright. She didn’t mean it. But you’re still my girl, Sarah. Don’t forget that. You’ll uh, you’ll always be my girl. But El... El is helping a lot. You understand, right? She’s making me feel things again, and I think... I think it’s good.” Hopper couldn’t help the tears that ran down his cheeks as he sat, finishing his cigarette.  
  
“I think it’s really good, don’t you?” He stood up and snuffed the cigarette out on the porch railing. He gave one more glance to the star filled sky above before he went in, just when he looked a shooting star went streaking across the sky, plain as could be.  
  
“Thanks baby girl.” He whispered hoarsely as he watched it fade from view.  
  
He went back inside, both feeling sadness and joy as he took a couple Aspirin to help face the pain he was going to face from the bruises in the morning. It was far from the first time he had ever been nailed in the kidneys.  
  
He finished placing El’s presents under the tree and filling their stockings, ensuring everything looked pretty.  
  
He changed into sleep clothes and laid down in his bed, and for the first time in a very long time, he couldn’t wait for Christmas morning, to see El’s big grin as she opened her gifts from him.  
  
El would never be Sarah, she could never replace his baby girl. But, Jim was starting to realize that he didn’t want a replacement of Sarah, he’d give anything for her to be alive again, but El was El. There would never be another Sarah, just like there would never be another Eleven. He drifted off peacefully, smiling as he thought about _both_ of his daughters.


	2. Epilogue

Morning came and Jim woke up early before El did. He peered into her room, seeing her curled up sleeping peacefully. He bit his lip and “accidentally” dropped their heavy dictionary to wake her up before quickly going to the kitchen innocently.    
  
Eleven shot up and hurried out of her room, eyes wide with joy at the presents under the tree and her stocking filled with candy.    
  
“Merry Christmas kid!” Hopper smiled as her Eggos popped up out of the toaster, he put some whipped cream on them and sprinkled some crushed candy cane on top.    
  
“Merry Christmas Hopper.” Eleven smiled and hugged her adopted father as he set her Eggos down on the table, Hopper eating one and sipping his coffee as she devoured hers.    
  
Together they moved from the table to the tree when she was done eating. Eleven felt the paper on the boxes, eyes shimmering at all the pretty paper.    
  
“C’mon kid, open ‘em!” Hopper urged, sitting on the floor beside her. He showed her how to put her fingers under the paper and rip it, she was worried at first but soon tore into the gifts with great glee.   
  
She got a brand new pair of snow boots, new sneakers, clothes, some puzzles, and some new albums, the one she was most excited about was the  _ Madonna _ album. He didn’t doubt he’d be listening to that until he was sick of it.   
  
“Thank you, Hopper.” She said as she slung her arms around his neck, Hopper smiling.    
“You’re very welcome, kid.” He patted her back. Eleven suddenly went to her room and returned with a large grin on her face, holding something behind her back.    
  
“I got you something.” She said, Hopper looked at her in surprise.   
“Really?” He blinked, El nodding as she handed him a folded up piece of paper. He unfolded it and his heart clenched.    
  
It was a drawing of her and Hopper, holding hands and smiling. Sure, it was messy, it looked like a little kid drew it. But Hopper felt tears filling his eyes, especially for what was written on top.    
  
_ Thank you for being my dad, Hopper.  _

_ I love you. _ __   
  
He hastily wiped his eyes, about to start sobbing then and there because of how much this kid meant to him.    
  
“Hop?” El asked nervously at him not saying anything.    
“I love it kid. I really love it.” Hopper said as he stood up and wrapped El in a big bear hug, squeezing her and lifting her up. Eleven laughed, nuzzling her face into his neck and inhaling the scent of smoke and his musky body wash. The scent that was Hopper. The scent that was  _ home _ . Something she never had before him.   
  
For now until he could frame it, Hopper attached the drawing to the fridge using magnets as Eleven watched, knowing well that Hopper didn’t put things on the fridge. So she knew it meant a lot to him.   
  
Later that afternoon Joyce and Will came by, bringing gifts for El and Hopper. El felt bad that she didn’t have anything for them, but they didn’t mind, knowing she couldn’t go and get them anything.    
  
El got some games from the two of them and a new deck of cards, along with a couple of temporary tattoos that she found cool. Things she could cover the “011” on her wrist with.    
  
While Will was showing El how to play  _ War, _ Joyce slyly tacked a string up with mistletoe between the kitchen and living room, hanging on a beam.    
  
Hopper was coming back with two cups of coffee for him and Joyce when she stopped him.    
“Hop.” Joyce had to hold back a grin, snickering slightly.    
“Hm?” He hummed, Joyce nodding her head upwards, signaling him to look up at the Mistletoe hanging above them.    
“Oh,” he started to move on when it dawned on him what it implied. “Oh!” He said with wide eyes, quickly setting the coffee cups down.    
“So I guess we have to kiss,” Joyce said, a slow grin forming on her face as Hopper came back. She stood on her toes, arms going around his neck.   
“I guess so,” Hopper murmured, grinning slightly and leaning down and slowly meeting her in a kiss.    
  
El looked up and nudged Will, looking at him and awaiting an explanation. He kinda wrinkled his nose at his mother kissing Hopper but he leaned in close to El to explain.    
“It’s Mistletoe. It’s a weird tradition thingy. You kiss someone you really like under it. It’s a weird romance thing,” he said with a shrug.    
Eleven nodded, halfway understanding. She wished Mike was there so she could kiss  __ him under the Mistletoe.   
  
The afternoon went on and Hopper went out for a smoke as Will, Joyce, and El watched a Christmas movie. Well the smoke wasn’t the only reason.    
  
“Thanks Nancy!” Mike waved at his sister as he came up the path to the cabin, a grin on his face. Hopper signaled for Mike to be quiet as he leaned on the door.   
  
“Hey El! C’mere, I forgot to give you a gift.” He called and Eleven came out. She was wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket, wearing an oversized shirt and pajama pants, no socks.    
  
She looked around before she spotted him, unable to help but gasp. “MIKE!” She yelled, abandoning the blanket on the porch as she jumped off, not bothering to take the stairs as she dashed to him barefoot in three inches of snow.   
  
“El!” He laughed, dropping his back-pack and opening his arms as she practically leapt into his arms, arms wrapped tightly around his neck squeezing him close.   
  
“I missed you so much!” She whispered, pushing her face into his shoulder, wanting to hold him as close as possible.    
  
“I missed you too, El.” Mike whispered, El starting to shiver slightly from the cold as they held the embrace, not wanting to let each other go.

  
“C’mon, lets go inside.” Mike urged her as he picked his back pack back up, El kinda hopping from the cold snow stinging her feet. They arrived on the porch and El hugged Hopper as a “thank you” before grabbing Mike’s hand and tugging him inside.    
  
Mike looked at Hopper over his shoulder in appreciation and Hop gave a half grin.    
  
“Merry Christmas, Wheeler.” Hopper said as he followed them inside after tossing his finished cigarette off the porch.    
  
Mike hugged Will and Joyce before El halfway lead him to the Mistletoe, biting her lip as she nudged him. He looked up and kinda jumped seeing it.    
  
He glanced over at Hopper nervously who was chatting with Joyce. Seeing that Hopper wasn’t looking he pulled Eleven close, kissing her deeply.    
  
El smiled and kissed him back, arms around his neck as they kissed.    
  
Hopper looked up as they started to kiss and started to say something when Joyce put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look. He shut his mouth but glared a little.    
  
The kiss was more than one kiss, and eventually Hopper cleared his throat at the two who were almost making out. They were caught up in it and so Hopper put a firm hand on Mike’s shoulder making him yank away, nearly falling over from how startled he was. He shrunk a little under Hopper’s firm gaze, shuffling his feet as El looked away.   
  
The two shuffled away from the Mistletoe, muttering an apology as Hopper grumbled.    
  
By the time supper time came, Joyce and Will left, giving hugs all around. Leaving El, Mike, and Hopper.    
  
El and Mike were playing cards and watching halfway watching a movie, talking and laughing when Mike remembered he hadn’t given El her gift. “Oh shit! I forgot to give you your gift.” Mike said as he got up out of the floor, going to his bag and getting out a small box while El followed curiously.    
  
“Here. I thought you’d like this.” Mike said, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Hopper was sitting in his Lay-Z-Boy, watching the two out of the corner of his eye.    
  
Eleven unwrapped the box delicately and opened it. Inside the little white box sat a golden necklace with a heart pendant with “El” etched on the front. Eleven was silent, she had never had anything so nice in her life.    
  
“I uh, hope you like it, yknow. I-it’s a locket! You can open it. Um, here.” Mike stammered, opening up the locket. Inside was a picture of her and Mike at the SnowBall dance, taken right before they were about to kiss.    
  
“I really hope you like it.” Mike kinda laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.    
  
“Oh Mike... I love it.” She breathed, eyes shining with happy tears.    
  
“You… You want me to put it on you?” Mike asked and she nodded. Carefully he took the necklace out of the box and went behind El. “Here, move your hair.” He said and Eleven did so, her hair was quickly growing into beautiful thick brown curls.    
  
His cool fingers brushed across the back of her neck and she shivered at his touch on her neck. Carefully he clasped the necklace around her neck with shaking hands. He would’ve hugged her from behind and kissed her shoulder if Hopper wasn’t watching the two so pointedly.    
  
Eleven turned and looked at him. “I wish I could’ve gotten you something,” she frowned and Mike shook his head.    
“Seeing you is gift enough,” he said sweetly, quickly kissing her.   
  
By 8 PM the two were curled up together under a blanket on the couch, snuggling as they watched a movie. His arm was wrapped around El’s shoulders and her arms were wrapped around him, cheek on his chest.    
  
“I wish you didn’t have to go home,” El mumbled sadly, nuzzling deeper into his chest.    
  
Mike looked over at Hopper, waiting on him to tell Eleven the rest of the surprise. 

  
“About that kid.” Hopper spoke up, sighing a little. “For all Mike’s mom knows, he’s over at Will’s spending the night so they could binge watch movies. But I gotta take him to Will’s by lunch time, okay?” Hopper watched El look at him stunned, Mike grinning down at Eleven.   
  
“And Joyce knows?” She asked  
“Yup, she sure does.” Hopper nodded, Eleven’s grin was huge as she squeezed Mike closer.   
  
“Thank you so much Hop.” El said, almost in tears from how excited she was to have Mike with her all night and part of the day tomorrow.   
“You’re welcome kiddo. I hope your first Christmas was good.” He smiled and Eleven nodded.   
“It was the best.” She confirmed, her ear resting over Mike’s heart.   
  
They finished the movie and El looked at Mike, eyebrow quirking upwards and she nodded towards her room as if silently asking if he wanted to go hang out in her room. Mike gave a little shrug and El grinned before looking at Hopper.   
  
“Hey Hop, can Mike and I go to my room? We’re kinda tired,” El said, sitting up a little. Hopper narrowed his eyes at the two suspiciously, thinking it over as he saw the two trying not to grin.   
  
“... I guess,” Hopper said slowly and El got up, grabbing Mike’s hand and tugging him along, almost making him stumble over his own legs. He barely grabbed his bag before they were in her room.   
  
“Thanks Hop!” El called, pulling Mike into her room.  
  
“Hey! Leave the door open 3 inches! No funny business!” Hopper yelled in warning, grumbling softly to himself. But he couldn’t help the small smile on his face.   
  
It had been a good Christmas, the best one he had had in years. He soon dozed off in his recliner with a smile on his face, so glad that Eleven was happy.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this fic. It turned out WAYY linger than I had originally planned!
> 
> Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for hopefully more fics.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed! I love Kudos and Comments like any other author. Thank you all for reading.


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